5.3 ChatGPT Writing Styles
ChatGPT is not just a text generator, but a virtual chameleon-author, capable of imitating countless expository styles. Managing this style is the key to obtaining text that sounds exactly as you need it to: from a dry technical report to an inspiring speech or a caustic satirical column. Style is not decoration, but a tool for achieving a communicative goal.
Style is formed by a complex of parameters: vocabulary, syntax, rhythm, tone, degree of formality, and structure. Let's examine how to control them.
1. Levels of Formality (Register)
This is the base layer that sets the tone for the entire text.
Academic / Scientific:
Key Features: Complex syntactic constructions, nominalizations, passive voice, precise terminology, lack of emotional coloring, impersonality ("it should be noted", "research has established", "based on the conducted analysis").
Prompt Triggers: "Write in a strict academic style", "as in a scientific article", "use terminology from the field of [quantum physics]", "avoid the pronoun 'I' and colloquial constructions".
Example Query: "Explain the theory of relativity in the style of a university textbook, with formulas and precise definitions."
Business / Professional:
Key Features: Clarity, structure, results-oriented. Uses active voice but without excessive emotion. Medium-length sentences. Vocabulary: "recommend", "advisable", "within the project framework", "KPI", "based on the results".
Prompt Triggers: "Write a business letter", "prepare a structured report", "in a professional tone for management", "with an emphasis on conclusions and recommendations".
Example Query: "In a business style, compose an email reminder to the team about the deadline for project 'Alpha' in a week. Indicate key control points and request a status update."
Conversational / Informal:
Key Features: Short sentences, interrogative and exclamatory constructions, colloquial words and idioms, pronouns "I", "you", "we", emojis, imitation of live speech.
Prompt Triggers: "Write as if you're explaining to a friend", "in a lively blogger style", "use colloquial vocabulary", "with humor and emojis".
Example Query: "Explain what an NFT is as if you were telling your grandmother over tea, as simply as possible and with everyday analogies."
2. Genre and Authorial Styles (Genre & Voice)
Here we force ChatGPT to imitate specific formats or the manner of famous authors.
Journalistic / News:
Features: "Inverted pyramid" (main point in the first paragraph), clichéd phrases ("according to a source", "as it became known"), objectivity (or its appearance), quotes.
Prompt Triggers: "Write a news article about [event] in the style of [RIA Novosti / The Bell]", "create an on-the-scene report".
Example: "Write a short news bulletin in the style of TASS about local scientists creating an AI for diagnosing cancer via blood test. Specify the location, institute, the essence of the technology, and a comment from the project lead."
Literary / Poetic:
Features: Imagery, metaphors, play with rhythm and sound, emotionality, deviations from grammatical norms for expressiveness.
Prompt Triggers: "In the style of Russian classical prose (like Turgenev)", "like a symbolist poet", "use vivid metaphors and sensory details", "create an atmosphere of mystery".
Example: "Describe an autumn forest using the stylistic features and imagery characteristic of Sergei Yesenin's lyric poetry."
Advertising / Persuasive (Copywriting):
Features: Emotional triggers (benefit, fear of missing out, status), rhetorical questions, imperative mood ("discover", "try", "imagine"), short paragraphs, slogans.
Prompt Triggers: "Write a sales text for...", "create a catchy headline", "in landing page style", "with emphasis on benefits, not features".
Example: "In the style of aggressive sales copy for a landing page, describe an English language course. Use triggers like 'in 3 months', 'result guarantee', 'discount only now'."
Technical / Instructional:
Features: Maximum clarity, sequence, numbered lists, unambiguous wording. Vocabulary: "ensure that", "click the button", "as a result, the following will be executed".
Prompt Triggers: "Write a step-by-step instruction for...", "in manual/technical documentation style", "clearly and without ambiguity".
3. Managing Tone and Persona (Tone & Persona)
This is the finest tuning, determining how the text sounds.
- Tone: "Be friendly and encouraging", "maintain a neutral and impartial tone", "use a sarcastic and slightly caustic manner", "formal but warm tone (as in a letter to a respected colleague)".
- Persona (Brand Voice): "Write like a caring and experienced mentor", "imitate the voice of a straightforward and slightly cynical expert", "style of an inspiring motivational speaker".
Practical Instruction: Multi-Layered Prompt for Style
For precise results, combine the layers:
"Act as [Role] and write a [Text Type] on the topic of [Topic].
Style: [Genre/Formality Level].
Tone: [Tone].
Structure: [Structural requirements, e.g., "introduction, 3 arguments, counterargument, conclusion"].
Special Instructions: [E.g., "use terms X, Y, Z", "avoid clichés", "length ~500 words"]."
Example: "Act as a fashion historian and write an analytical column for a glossy magazine on the topic 'The influence of 90s street style on contemporary high fashion'. Style: lively, descriptive, but fact-based. Tone: enthusiastic, slightly ironic. Structure: a vivid introductory thesis, 2-3 examples of collections from famous houses, analysis of the reasons for this nostalgia, a brief concluding forecast. Special Instructions: mention specific designers (Versace, Margiela) and trends (logocentrism, chunky sneakers)."
By understanding and using this "palette" of styles, you transform ChatGPT from a simple assistant into a co-author, capable of realizing any of your ideas in textual form down to the very intonation.